Which tech company offers the best salary?

FROM the roller blade 'fun park' at Facebook and to golf courses on the roof at Google, tech firms have found plenty of ways to woo new recruits -not least the salary offered to junior employees.

New research has shown that salaries for junior employees in the tech industry vary widely but start around a generous £30,000.

Software and internet-focussed companies pay junior employees far more than hardware companies, the crowd-sourced data by Emolument.com showed. Hewlett-Packard, which specialises in tech equipment from computer chips to printers, pays junior employees £30,000 - that's half of the average salary for an employee of the same grade at LinkedIn, which pays £60,000.

The higher salary at LinkedIn compared to Facebook, which pays £49,500, or Google, £48,000, could be to compensate for the brand having "less prestige or glamour" Thomas Drewry, ceo of Emolument, suggested. "As well as attracting customers, brand image plays a significant role when it comes to recruiting the kind of talent that will keep pushing technology companies forward," Drewry said.

The pay gap extended to senior employees. Statistics revealed that senior employees with more than ten years of experience at Apple earn around 10 per cent more than their counterparties at Microsoft, or £76,000 compared to £69,000.

Emolument crowdsourced data from 46,000 participants that was then independently verified.